Short Circuit
by P.S. Ink
Summary: Greed, enslavement, lies, and deceit...When will people realize that they create their own greatest enemies? After years of hardship, one law is passed and it finally breaks the barrier holding one seemingly insignificant man back from leading a revolution. Just how far will his journey take him, and what does the man with the eye-patch have to do with it? AU: Kakairu.


**Author's Note:** Beware all, because I am a huge KakaIru fan (they're my OTP). So, more than likely most of my future fiction will involve them. Please, note the rating overall for this fic. I will also put a rating per chapter as an extra precaution as to what you will be reading. A quick warning, this fic involves shounen-ai, which is the romantic love between two men and eventual yaoi, which is the more *eh-em* physical act of love between men. It is eventual because I am a firm believer in plot and a relationship takes some time to develop.

This fiction has elements of sci-fi, post-political-apocalypse, and steam punk mixed in. I don't remember really reading a KakaIru fic like this, so I hope you enjoy it. Critics are welcomed, but if reviews left are made from spite and crassness that aim to infuriate me instead of offering advice on how to make this a better fic, they will be removed. I'm all for positive and negative feedback. I'm always open for suggestions; all I ask for is civility.

That is all, for the time being. So, I bid the adieu and I hope you enjoy the show.

Sincerely, P.S. Ink

**Disclaimer:** I'm a poor college student, so I don't own anything but the words I string together.

**Rating:** T

**Short Circuit**

_~Prologue (Part One)~ _

_Power corrupts._

_That was one thing that has been proven over time. In the course of centuries, advances in knowledge and influxes in wealth provided great influence over society. Each year welcomed new discoveries that changed the course of history, aiming for the future and that subsequently forgot about the past._

_Their history._

_Mankind. Humanity...It was a wondrous thing. Beings with the ability to learn, to pass on knowledge and experience. They were the top of the food chain as fearsome hunters and skilled gatherers. They applied their understandings and as time went on, they evolved. Some stayed at a liveable pace, content to live comfortably. Some, though, pushed forward, applying what they'd learn from challenges and observations to form a higher form of humans._

_It was doable, at first. Then after centuries of the same process happening over and over again, a rift began to grow. The longer that time went on, the more breakthroughs were made and in effect, the bigger the rift grew. Soon, more sects were formed to establish an equal balance, or so it tried. Those of higher intellect quickly gained power in society, leaving those of lower standards behind. It played out slowly most of the time,only showing the adverse effects of power at short intervals in some tyrannical governments, enslavement, and genocide. _

_That was only the forerunner of what was to come._

_War spread across the world once, twice...and then things calmed. Humans settled back into their lives for a few decades, until political and economic unrest disturbed them. While the leaders tried to settle it, animosity began to grow between the classes, especially between those in poverty and those in the high-life. _

_By the time the third world war came to be,it wasn't one country against another. No, it was within each land, fought against the people. It rose up in the forms of riots and demands of reformation. There were radical protests and pickets along with petitions and open threats. It was an outcry, a desperate plea to get the nation to realize just what was happening. The government had turned a blind eye to the people for too long._

_It was, however, a long lost battle. Money, as it seemed, was far too important for the country to succeed. That was when the full impact of how much power the upper class had was realized. For generations the rich had slipped those who had power into their pockets, whether they be leading officials or head criminals. Pushed by greed and spite at those who tried to go up against them,the wealthy manipulated the government until there was a ban placed on any individual that didn't meet the required living amount. All those who were once considered as poor were stripped of their rights and locked up. At first, they were treated humanely enough, since they were given shelter, food, and clothing. But as the expense of keeping them contained grew, the tolerance of those in power lessened as they lost more and more money. _

_Soon, they were killed. Exterminated like the vermin the upper class believed they were. _

_Any wish that the middle class had of the strife lessening was swiftly demolished. Things only seemed to escalate from there. With the incredible influence of money, bills were constructed that tightened the security of intelligence and skilled training of those who weren't viewed as being "esteemed" enough to have it. Those who had worked hard their lives to drag themselves out of poverty that had stricken their family's were accused of thievery and thrown in jail. For the others that had a decent line of middle-class ancestors, they were given two options: attach themselves to serve a family, or be imprisoned. _

_Those who agreed to the volunteered slavery had to serve three generations of servitude before they were awarded their freedom and the right to practice their profession. All those that didn't, were eventually executed for treason._

_The upheaval didn't stay confined within a single country's border. Not long after the reforms within the county took place, each began competing to see who was the superior in categories of intellect, prestige, and strength._

_There was no other way to do it without war._

_But, human life was a delicate thing that was as easily snuffed out as a slow burning candle in a forgotten cathedral. At first, they trained those that they had jailed. After all, they were going to execute them anyway. It was just a different approach to the same bitter end. As time rushed on in a whirlwind of propaganda and bloodshed, numbers on all sides decreased rapidly. The pawns of the monstrous game of chess were falling rapidly without any clear winner being within sight. _

_So, with their understanding of technology and a thriving need, a group of mechanical engineers looked forward with one goal in mind: creating the perfect soldiers. The end result was a group of highly trained robotic creations that were all under the command of the elite. They were better, faster, and stronger than any human they went up again, and ready to serve at their master's beck and call. _

_Finally, the wealthy ruled the world, and all those below them served them._

_Power corrupts, that is but one thing that history has taught its people and one amongst many that they had not yet learned. Those in power had lost their humanity, and in turn forgot in their sin-clouded minds one of the laws of motion that they had unknowingly set forth._

_Every action has and equal and opposite reaction._

_It was only the beginning._

_~Prologue (Part Two)~_

_He grew up listening to stories his grandfather told. The picture of sitting on the cold stone floor of their shared cottage, the soft glow of the kerosene lamp reflecting off the rough wood in a warm glow was still fresh in his mind. They had both been born in the servant house on the outskirts of their Lord's land, as had the generation before and in between them had. They were a small family, but incredibly close. They worked the land and tended to the head family with nothing short of politeness and, even thought they were slaves, dignity. Not once had a one of them stepped a toe out of line or disrespect their lords. No, unlike most in their position they were caring, diligent, and about all else, intelligent. They would wake early in the morn to begin their chores, and once they were finished they would gather round the center room and listen to the eldest man._

_The sound of the age-husked voice still echoes in his ears, passing on tales as old as time itself. _

_The man spoke of a life he himself didn't live in, of memories that weren't his ow. They spoke of freedom, the dreams of their ancestor that had saved them by selling his soul to what seemed to be the devil himself in human form._

_If he could even be called human._

_The Lord, while being an esteemed man, was also a very suspicious one. After all, their family was quite unlike any other. It was their intellect that set them apart from most servers, and that is what made the Lord wary of them. He, unlike the majority of his member, not only had an extensive record of their ancestors, including notes on aptitude, I.Q. And even personality. He was also their when the first of them had signed away their freedom. Lord Orochimaru hadn't aged a day in over a century. Through the use of science, medicine, and even a rumor of making a deal with a demon, he had withered his humanity away till it resembled that of a speckle of dust._

_His secrets and private lifestyle made him cautious to the extreme, only letting a select few live with him and even less know about how he managed to stall the effects of time on him. _

_Then, he came. _

_After the mandate had passed, he had been lead in by his butler. He was calm and collected, the air about him being serene and light as he took a seat opposite the pale man who was in stark contrast to his tanned skin. The Lord didn't have to ask him name, since he'd already knew it. Most everyone knew who this charismatic man was, and he felt just a tad bit floored to see him in his office. He had a long list of skills, from medical all the way to mechanics. He was a rumored prodigy that even was said to have had ties to the Uchiha household, which had always infatuated the older and more powerful man._

_Lord Orochimaru immediately became suspicious. Why would this man come to him of all people to sere under? There were plenty of other open houses that would've been delighted to have a strapping young man to serve them. His paranoia grew, coming to the belief that the younger was a spy, sent to stop his operations from happening and to gather evidence of his testing. Even though he was a highly respected man, there were still officials that didn't' trust him and that he had yet to buy off since they were so stubborn about the so-called "justice" that was quickly dwindling away. _

_His fears, however, were unfounded after extensive investigation. It seemed that his reasons of wanting to preserve his knowledge and not being so spoiled to refuse to work were fair and just. The young man was permitted to work on the compound, but there was one condition. The Lord wrote up a binding contract that held multiple provisions and detailed consequences. There was a privacy clause, working clause, and most importantly, a limitation clause. The soon-to-be servant would only be allowed to pick one skill to pass on to his kin, and so on._

_The man didn't even hesitate, taking the pen in his left hand and signing his name. _

_From that moment on, he worked with the other families that served under the sever man and the members of his "family". He was, without doubt, incredibly efficient and observant. It didn't take long for on of the maids to fall for him and they had a swift marriage and an even swifter pregnancy. They were blessed with a baby boy that grew up happy and strong, adding to the workforce when he was the ripe age of six years. _

_That was a year of many beginnings, including the boys education. _

_The Lord was a mistrustful and careful being, but the slave had been clever. Those years ago he had signed with his left hand with nearly an equal ease as his right hand, having long since trained himself into being an ambidextrous. If the Lord had been so watchful , he would've noticed that on the legal documents he was noted as being right-handed, making the agreement void on common law that had yet to be abolished. _

_So, he taught his son in secret, stressing the importance of literacy, art, mathematics, mechanics,and history. He poured all the knowledge he knew into him, and taught him how to keep it all hidden with ceaseless acting skills. His wit and prodigal roots seemed to he inherent, for not only did his son acquire it all, but his grandson and great-grandson as well._

_That was the story that was told from generation to generation, and one of the last things the grandfather had told his grandson. As he had laid on the thin bed, old and ill, he spoke to the young boy one last time. He divulged the last bit of hidden plans that had been set forth generations ago when the first of them made his plan. When he was finished, after the wide eyes and a soft whispering promises were made, the child watched as his beloved grandfather took his last shuddering breath._

_With the swiftness of dousing the kerosene lamp on the corner table, the life was stolen from the eldest among them. _

_With his death he set them free as being the third and final generation to be bound to the Lord and he reluctantly let them go free. The husband, wife and young son walked out into the world for the first time, and after a long while, they found a decent home and jobs that most servants wouldn't have been able to obtain so easily. The boy was enrolled in the advance placement school that had ties with the family, and for a few years all was well._

_Until a criminal with skin as pale as the dead and eyes the color of blood came to town. _

_The killer was no more a man than he was a monster. He fed off of fear and suffering. His victims pain brought him entertainment. He was the worst kind of being. He killed for pleasure, but his services could be bought. It didn't matter to him, as long as he got the rush that came with stealing lives and causing destruction; the money was just a bonus. _

_That night the township became his playground. He left behind a trail of corpses and blood in his wake. All withing a course of a few hours, the once peaceful village had become a metaphorical graveyard as the survivors were left to tally up their dead. Over a hundred died from the violent ambush, amongst them was the young couple that had been freed only for a few years, leaving their eleven year old son an orphan._

_It was the end. _

_That was what it felt like to him as he watched the bodies of his parents being carted away with the other. _

_In reality, it was just the beginning for the sole survivor: Umino Iruka. _


End file.
